Cape and Islands jamboree

Thursday

Dec 2, 2010 at 2:00 AMDec 2, 2010 at 11:00 PM

The high school basketball season kicks off this Dec. 3 with a multi-school jamboree featuring varsity teams from Cape Cod Academy, Cape Cod Tech, Chatham, Nantucket, Pope John Paul II, Provincetown, Sturgis Charter Public School and, for boys only, Falmouth Academy, which will be playing as a guest in this league opener.

J. James Joiner

New league holds showcase to strut its stuff

The high school basketball season kicks off this Dec. 3 with a multi-school jamboree featuring varsity teams from Cape Cod Academy, Cape Cod Tech, Chatham, Nantucket, Pope John Paul II, Provincetown, Sturgis Charter Public School and, for boys only, Falmouth Academy, which will be playing as a guest in this league opener. Sturgis athletic director and jamboree organizer Patrick O’Kane is optimistic about the event. “It’s a work in progress and there’s going to be some kinks to work out,” he said. “But we think it’s going to be a great thing for the athletes, and to encourage interschool rivalries.” The concept came about last year, amid discussions for this season’s fall and winter schedule. “The whole league as an entity was looking for some events to get the word out to the Cape,” O’Kane explained. There will be a series of 15-minute quarters, in a round robin format. In all, 15 games will be played by the boys, starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center, and 14 by the girls, at 3:30 p.m. at Cape Cod Academy. “The idea isn’t about the score of a win-loss record,” O’Kane noted. “They’re just looking to get a game under their belts in front of a large crowd.” The games will be a cross between a real game and a pick-up game. “From a ref standpoint, we’re not even going to record the fouls,” O’Kane asserted. “This is more about giving the teams and coaches a chance to see what’s out there, and see what the Cape and Islands has to offer this year. We really want to generate interest for future games.”